My new house

[Cathy]

This is the new house I just bought. http://www.allmaine.com/bartnjakerealty/detail.asp?item=12063

The closing is on May 5th. Dan is getting married, to a woman with three kids, girls ages 7, 10 and 12, and they'll be living with us. I still can't live on my own, and probably never will. It's a good thing I like kids!

[brink-]

Looks great Cathy, I had looked in that area a couple years ago because it was so reasonable - you even get a pool!!
Very nice that you like kids, congrats to Dan.

[SilverHeels]

Love your house, Cathy, as I told you when I first saw it. And I cannot believe the price!
Wow! Enjoy, buddy. Health and happiness in abundance to you and yours. :)

[Cathy]

Originally posted by SilverHeels:
Love your house, Cathy, as I told you when I first saw it. And I cannot believe the price!
Wow! Enjoy, buddy. Health and happiness in abundance to you and yours. :) It's quite a high price for these parts. If it were anywhere other than Presque Isle, it would go for $80,000 or less.

[Cathy]

Right, Brink. There's a pool, but only about 2 months of swimming weather. I think we should look into one of those clear bubble enclosures, so we can use it year around.

[brink-]

Originally posted by Cathy:
Right, Brink. There's a pool, but only about 2 months of swimming weather. I think we should look into one of those clear bubble enclosures, so we can use it year around. That would be a great idea, that would help with your pt too. Would be nice swimming and watching the snow fall. lol

[Borderstone]

Beautiful house Cathy! :) I'm 100% envious of you. In celebration,a song!

"Her house,in the middle of the street,
her house,it really can't be beat!"
"Her house.is her castle & her home,
her house filled with pink isulation foam!!! LOL!! :D :D

("Our House" by Madness ;1983)

[ April 08, 2006, 19:08: Message edited by: Borderstone ]

[charlene]

Just this evening I said to Lisa and my mum we should invest in a cover for the backyard so we can use the pool all year round!
lolol
and it would also eliminate the "closing and opening" headache every year!
It's a great place Cathy!!! You're gonna love it!

[SilverHeels]

<<If it were anywhere other than Presque Isle, it would go for $80,000 or less.>>

$80.000???????????? You might get a garage for that over here! Flippin' 'eck! I'm emigrating to the US!

[Cathy]

Originally posted by Borderstone:
Beautiful house Cathy! :) I'm 100% envious of you. In celebration,a song!

"Her house,in the middle of the street,
her house,it really can't be beat!"
"Her house.is her castle & her home,
her house filled with pink isulation foam!!! LOL!! :D :D

("Our House" by Madness ;1983) No, no, Borderstone. It's "Our house is a very, very, very fine house. With two cats in the yard... life used to be so hard.....

[Cathy]

Originally posted by SilverHeels:
<<If it were anywhere other than Presque Isle, it would go for $80,000 or less.>>

$80.000???????????? You might get a garage for that over here! Flippin' 'eck! I'm emigrating to the US! I wouldn't do that if I were you, unless you want to live in some puny town in Northern Maine.

[Borderstone]

So true,Cathy! :D I couldn't think of a "House" song right off but took the 1st one into my head and that's always the first. ;)

I 1st heard that C S & N song in that old early 80s commercial,for some brand of sausage! :rolleyes: What a way to get intro'd to a cool group like them! :cool:

[Sundreme]

OMG...126 thousand for a 4 bedroom, two bathroom house?? With a pool?! Is that a detached garage I see?
Here in the Miami area you can't even get a tiny little condo for that anymore.
Two months of swimming weather or not..its time to move to Maine!

[Auburn Annie]

It's a lovely house, though my first thought was you'll want to add another bath somewhere with three girls approaching adolescence, lol. Your housing prices are similar to ours here in central New York but I'm betting our real estate taxes are higher.

Sundreme said: " OMG...126 thousand for a 4 bedroom, two bathroom house?? With a pool?! Is that a detached garage I see?
Here in the Miami area you can't even get a tiny little condo for that anymore.
Two months of swimming weather or not..its time to move to Maine!"

See, ideally you have two houses, one up north to escape the summer heat, one down south to escape the winter cold. Now if I could just win the lotto...........

[Sheryl]

What a picturesque house, Cathy, congratulations!! The ad says 1 bath? Yikes! You'll have to assign "P" times, LOL!! Is there a room you'll designate as a music room or will it be the garage? No... probably too cold in there unless you convert it. After you move in, post a pic or two of you enjoying your lovely new house!

[charlene]

i like your thinking Annie!
I could keep this place and between Erk, Lori, my sis and cousin I could spend a fair bit of time in Florida!
lol
altho I like it when it's HOT there....that's why I usually am there in July/August! That's when we have summer too!
lol

[Janice]

Originally posted by SilverHeels:
$80.000???????????? You might get a garage for that over here! Flippin' 'eck! I'm emigrating to the US! Bru, here in San Diego, the "garage" you speak of would start at around $250,000 (US)

[Janice]

It looks like a great house, Cathy, congratulations! Congratulations to Dan as well - although I still say he is too young to be getting married :D Gosh, it seems like only yesterday he was 17 - has it really been 5 years?!?!? (boy do I feel old)

Janice

[stationmaster]

http://www.heathersanimations.com/messages/grandiose.gif

[Cathy]

Originally posted by Sundreme:
OMG...126 thousand for a 4 bedroom, two bathroom house?? With a pool?! Is that a detached garage I see?
Here in the Miami area you can't even get a tiny little condo for that anymore.
Two months of swimming weather or not..its time to move to Maine! Be sure to bring a warm winter coat and snow boots.

[Cathy]

Originally posted by Sheryl:
What a picturesque house, Cathy, congratulations!! The ad says 1 bath? Yikes! You'll have to assign "P" times, LOL!! Is there a room you'll designate as a music room or will it be the garage? No... probably too cold in there unless you convert it. After you move in, post a pic or two of you enjoying your lovely new house! There's a half bath downstairs and a full bath upstairs.
I don't know about the music room. I guess I'll have to find an empty room somewhere and lay claim to it.

[Cathy]

Originally posted by Janice:
It looks like a great house, Cathy, congratulations! Congratulations to Dan as well - although I still say he is too young to be getting married :D Gosh, it seems like only yesterday he was 17 - has it really been 5 years?!?!? (boy do I feel old)

Janice Yes. It's been five years. I guess he can't stay 17 forever.

[SilverHeels]

'Half Bath'???? Explain, please?

J: $250.000? Geez, I guess we should all move to Maine!

[charlene]

half bath is a toilet and sink - or sometimes called a 'two-piece'. full bath (3 piece) is toilet,sink and shower/bathtub combo. some full baths have a toilet,sink, shower stall and separate bathtub. the bathtub is usually a jacuzzi type tub/soaker tub.
some call half baths powder rooms as well.
It's like the one in your room downstairs at my place and the one off the kitchen....then upstairs i have two full bathrooms...
I call it TOO many bathrooms!
lol

[SilverHeels]

OK. Gotcha. We have 'half bath' downstairs and we call it the 'cloakroom'.

[charlene]

LOL!
A cloakroom here is for coats and boots in a restaurant or theatre/public place etc.

[Cathy]

Originally posted by SilverHeels:
'Half Bath'???? Explain, please?

J: $250.000? Geez, I guess we should all move to Maine! A half bath is usually just a toilet and a lavatory.

[johnfowles]

Originally posted by SilverHeels:
OK. Gotcha. We have 'half bath' downstairs and we call it the 'cloakroom'. I am very surprised that so far the Sydney hooligan has not piped up to explain that down under such a convenience is called a "dunny"
http://image2.frappr.com/pics4/i/20051210/f/b/9/fb93bf6ab8ec21be5843091e5c44204f0
I understand from the wiki page for dunny that
that word "is often used to specify a distinction between a flushing toilet and a non-flushing toilet (e.g., a longdrop)"

[SilverHeels]

<<A cloakroom here is for coats and boots in a restaurant or theatre/public place etc. >>

Well, us Brits have such style, you know. ;)

[charlene]

and in cloakrooms here there is usually an attendant to hang and retrieve your coat.....is such a person in you cloakroom Bru?
lol
ack!

[Sheryl]

We used to have cloakrooms in our school. Wonder what they did with 'em -- probably knocked out the wall and just enlarged the classroom. Every class had one. I was remembering those just last week. Pleasant memories of olden, golden times.

[johnfowles]

Originally posted by charlene:
and in cloakrooms here there is usually an attendant to hang and retrieve your coat.....is such a person in you cloakroom Bru?
lol
ack! That immediately reminded me of a wonderful series of letters to the editor of the Daily Telegraph a few years ago. One pompous old fart was going on about the misuse of the word "butler" to describe a servant,after another old buffer had indicated that his butler drove the car . first fart said "in my house the butler opens the front door" or words to that effect. This was seized upon by another crony with a splendid double-barrelled name who said it distressed him to see the depths of depredation the old fart had fallen to because
"in my house I have two butlers, one for each front door "!
John Fowles
from the old Rosemary Clooney song:-
Ain't a-gonna need this house no longer
Ain't a-gonna need this house no more
Ain't got time to fix the shingles
Ain't got time to fix the floor
Ain't got time to oil the hinges
Nor to mend the windowpane

[SilverHeels]

<<is such a person in you cloakroom Bru?>>

maybe I need to employ someone. LOL

[joveski]

dunny = toilet.. we go there to pay the rates

[Janice]

Originally posted by SilverHeels:
'Half Bath'???? Explain, please?

J: $250.000? Geez, I guess we should all move to Maine! That's why I decided to rent my house instead of purchasing one - at least as long as I live in Southern California :)

[Cathy]

The problem is, when you rent, you have nothing to show for it in the end.

And my landlord is a sleazy scuzball.

[stationmaster]

True Cathy. We have rented for twelve years. Nothing to show for it but increasing rent receipts. You have a very nice house. That little animation was just a joke! SM :)

[brink-]

Was cute too Station Master.

renting is a hassle unless you find the right place. I have a house that I am buying and I feel good that I have a place that I can have my dogs and nobody has anything to say about it. But renting has advantages too, like flappers. I could call the landlord to fix the flappers.

[Sheryl]

http://mud.mm-a6.yimg.com/image/2327274379

[charlene]

lol sheryl!

Hey Brink - I'll fix 'em for ya if they need fixin'.....Cathy and I will be right out....
no charge!

[brink-]

c'mon down the flapper in the main bath doesn't close and the one in the master bath makes noises. You and Cathy fix, I'll feed ya. lol

[Cathy]

Originally posted by stationmaster:
True Cathy. We have rented for twelve years. Nothing to show for it but increasing rent receipts. You have a very nice house. That little animation was just a joke! SM :) I knew it was a joke!

[Janice]

Originally posted by Cathy:
The problem is, when you rent, you have nothing to show for it in the end.

And my landlord is a sleazy scuzball. This is very true and something I've given thought to as well, but it does have it's perks if you have a good landlord - such as you don't have to come up with a down payment or finance major repairs. I'm lucky to have a great landlord who completely leaves me alone unless I call with a problem - which he tends to immediately (at least I assume he will - I've only had to call once and he was right there to fix it).

When I first started looking to give up apartment life, I thought about buying, but with the max I could come up with as a down payment, my monthly mortgage payment would have been twice my monthly rent (for a similar size house and lot) and I can't afford twice my monthly rent on a single income. Sometimes ya gotta do what ya gotta do even if it only benefits the short term :(

[Cathy]

I have a terrible landlord. He doesn't want to repair anything.
My tub was dripping water, and he refused to fix it. I told him either he could get a plumber in here, or I could call one and just deduct it from the rent. He had one here in about 20 minutes, and it took all of 10 minutes to fix.

He bills these as luxury apartments, and they are quite nice. But boy, he's a real piece of work.

[Janice]

I hate landlords like that. Mine wants to preserve the value of this house, so he maintains it very well. When I moved in the hot water heater was only a few months old as was the dishwasher. The whole place had been freshly painted and the kitchen cabinets had been re-polyurethaned. The one and only problem I've had was with the stove top. He was out here within an hour of my call, to take measurements for a new stove top if the repair guy he had scheduled to come out the following morning couldn't fix it.

[Cathy]

I don't think we have landlords like that in Northern Maine. Oh, I take that back. The landlords in Limestone was great, actually an older couple, and Dan and I still drive over there and visit them quite often. They came to the Boston hospital to visit me a few times. Unfortunately, I don't remember the visits. I was either unconscious or in a drug induced stupor.